Attachment for overshoes.



No. 757,365. PATENTED APR. 12. 1904,

- W. H. TILL'SON.

ATTACHMENT FOR OVERSHOES.

APPLICATION 1 mm we. 16, 1903. 30' MODEL.

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by a a d i No. 757,365. PATENTED APR. 12, 1904. w. H. TILLSON.

ATTACHMENT 011 OVERSHOES.

APPLICATION FILED AIIG. 16, 1903.

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UNITED STATES I'atented April '12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. TILLSON, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

ATTAC'HMENT'FOR OVERSHOES. V

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,365, dated April12, 1904.

Application filed August 15, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, -WILLIAM H. TILLS N, a citizen of the United States,residing .at Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, haveinvented a newand useful Attachment for Overshoes, of which the.following is a specification.

This invention relates to attachments for overshoes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a neat, durable, andthoroughly-cf fective attachment for overshoes which in use will operatepositively and without discomfort to the wearer of the overshoes toprevent the overshoes from working off.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder of suchconstruction that when applied to an overshoe it will not present on theinside of the overshoe any obstruction which would interfere with thewear of the shoe or which would be objectionable on account of marringthe leather of the shoe proper.

A further object of the inventionis to provide a novel form of means forattaching the holder of the overshoe by which accidental separation ofthe holder and the overshoe will be positively prevented.

A further and special object of the invention is to provide means forattaching the holder to the overshoe which will also serve '-to hold theback part of the overshoe in proper shape and prevent the collapse ofthe back portion when the overshoe is being put on.

With the objects above stated in view the" the means employed forattaching the holding member to an overshoe, it being understood thatchanges in the exact shape, proportions, and mode of assemblage of theelements exhibited may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Serial No. 169.637. (No model.)

view in perspective of the attachment shown in Fig. 1 detached from theovershoe. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a modified form of theattachment detached from an overshoe. Fig. 4 is a perspective view ofanother modified form of the invention. Fig. 5 is a view in Verticalsection through an overshoe looking toward the heel and showing anothermodified form of the invention in position thereon. Fig. 6 is aperspective View of still another modification of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, in which corresponding parts are designatedby the same characters of reference, 1 designates an ordinary overshoe,2 a holder, and 3 a fastening device.

The overshoe 1 may be of any ordinary form, having a low back portion,as shown.

The holder 2 is preferably made of a flat strip of suitablematerial-such, for example, as rubber, whalebone, or sheet metaland ispreferably bent to the form shown, so that it may lie close against theinner side of the back portion of the overshoe when not in operation,thereby avoiding the presentation of an obstruction that would beobjectionable,

partly because of its tendency to cut the leather in the shoe proper andpartly because it would interfere with putting the overshoe on.-

Ordinarily the holder 2 is a bail ofsheet I metal which may preferablybe sheathed in suitable webbing to shield it from the action of moistureand to prevent injury to the shoe proper from contact with the edgesthereof. The holder 2 is provided intermediate of its ends with a hookor loop 4;, which is preferably placed a little to one side of themiddle of the holder to prevent engagement with the back of the overshoeat the middle point, where a rib is usually formed. The hook or loop 4is provided to engage with the upper margin of the back of the overshoe,as shown in Fig. 1, and so to prevent the bail 2 from being depressedbelow the top of the back portion of the overshoe,where it could not beconveniently reached after the shoe had been put on.

The attaching device 3 consists of a thin strip of material, preferablymetal, which is bent to conform to the proper outline of the back partof the overshoe and is provided with a plurality of hooks 5, which arebent over the top ofthe sides of the overshoe and are pressed into firmengagement therewith.

In order to prevent disengagement of the at.

taching device 3 from the overshoe, small outward projections are formedat 6 by stamping and the corners of the hooks 5 are bent inward,as-shown at 7. When the hooks 5 are pressed firmly against the outsideof the overshoe and the ends of the strip of metal of which theattaching device is formed are pressed outward against the inside of theovershoe, the small projections 6 and the inwardlybent corners 7 will bebrought into positive engagement with the side of the overshoe and willhold the attaching device 3 firmly in po sition.

In the form of the invention described and in all the forms hereinafterto be described the holder is pivotally attached to the attaching deviceat the forward ends of the attaching device, so as to swing upward overthe heel of the wearer.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified form of the invention, in which a holder 2of the form already described is attached to a fastening device 8,consisting of a strip of thin metal having three loops or hooks 9associated therewith, each of the hooks having at its free margin aninwardly disposed flange which is adapted to be forced into the materialof which the overshoe is composed to hold the strip of metal in rigidassociation with the s oe.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4 the holder 10 isthickened midway between its ends at 11 and is provided with two hooks12, arranged at the ends of the thickened portion. The attaching devices13 consist of plates of thin slightlyflexible metal having at the uppermargins thereof two hooks l4, spaced somewhat apart and provided attheir free edges with inwardlybent flanges for engagement with theoutside of the overshoe. The plates of metal forming the attachingdevices 13 are of sufficient length to be bent to conform to the normalcurve of the overshoe and when placed in position thereon will serve tohold the sides of the overshoe in proper position and to preventcollapse thereof.

1 In the form of the invention illustrated in Fig, 5 a bail 2 is pivotedto a fastening device, con sisting of a thin strip of metal 15,extending vertically downward at each side of the overshoe, on theinside thereof, and extending horizontally across the bottom of theshoe. bent over the top of the sides of the overshoe to form hooks 16and may be provided with flanges at the free margins thereof, as shown,or with inwardly-bent corners similar to those described in connectionwith another form of the invention. In order'to protect the strip 15 andprevent injury to the shoes therefrom, it will preferably be coveredover with a coating of fabric. (Not shown.)

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 6 the device consists of abail 2 pivoted at 7 its ends to the upper ends of a strip 18, and ahorizontally arranged strip 19, having the ends thereof extended throughthe loops or hooks 20 at the upper ends of the strip 18 and bent aroundthe edges of said hooks to hold the strip 19 in proper associationtherewith.

From the foregoing descriptive paragraphs and the figures illustrativethereof it will be seen that the means for attaching the bail or holderin all the forms of the invention will serve more or less completely toretain the back of the overshoe in shape, so that it will not collapsewhen an attempt is made to put the overshoe on by introducing the toe ofthe shoe proper into the overshoe and then forcing the heel of the shoeproper downward into the overshoe.

While specific reference to that fact that parts of the attachment maybe sheathed in cloth have been made in describing only a few of thevarious forms of the invention, it will of course be obvious that such asheath may be applied to all the different forms, if desired.

It is to be understood that in the construction of the various forms ofthe invention the proportions of the parts may be varied not only toadapt the attachment to overshoes of different sizes, but the length andwidth of the materialused in forming the stiffener-strips and the bailsmay be varied within tolerably wide limits. The stiffener-strips mayvary in width up to oneand one-half inches or, if desired, may beextended to the bottom of the overshoe. The bails may be made fromthreesixteenths of an inch to three-eighths of an inch in width, and thehooks mounted thereon for engagement with the upper margin of theovershoe-wall may be formed integral with the bail instead of beingattached thereto by rivets, as illustrated. The length of the stripsemployed as stiifeners or as bails may also be varied somewhat in theproduction of attach ments for overshoes of a given size; but thevariation will be less marked than the variations in width, and nodefinite statement thereof need be given, owing to the fact that thelengths of the strips will necessarily vary for overshoes of differentsizes, and in order to make such a statement of dimensions useful itwould be necessary to specify the size of the overshoe for which stripsof a given length were intended.

The upper ends of the strip 15 are 5 Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 7 Patent, is-

1. An attachment for overshoes comprising a stiffener for theovershoe-wall consisting of a strip of sheet metal, means for positivelyattaching the stiffener to the overshoe-wall on the inside thereof, ahail pivotally mounted on the stiffener and a catch on the bail toengagewith the upper margin of the wall of the overshoe to limit the downwardmovement of the bail.

2, An attachment for overshoes comprising a stiffener disposed on theinside of the overshoe along the upper margin of the wall thereof, abail pivotally mounted upon the stiflener and depressible within theovershoe, means for, positively attaching the stiffener to an overshoe,and a hook carried by the bail for engagement with the upper margin ofthe overshoe-wall to limit the downward movement of the bail.

3. An attachment for overshoes comprising a stiffener for overshoesadapted to lie in contact with the inside of an overshoe, hooks rovidedon the stiffener for engagement with the upper edge of the overshoe-walland having bent portions at the ends thereof to engage the outer surfaceof the overshoe-wall, and a bail pivotally connected at its terminalswith the stiffener and provided with a catch to limit the downwardmovement of the bail.

4. An attachment for overshoes comprising a stiffener consisting of astrip disposed horizontally along the inside of the upper margin of theovershoe, a second strip rigidly connected with the first strip andextending downward inside the overshoe and across the bottom thereof,and a bail pivotally attached to the stiffener onv the inside thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I havehereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. TILLSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES A. JAMES, J. I. FOREMAN.

